In the spring, as we were giving consideration to the home projects that we would undertake this summer, we were approached by several paving companies with respect to repaving the driveway. We discussed this with several neighbours and after what we thought was careful research, 3 of us chose to go with Stone Ridge Paving. We should have known that something was wrong the day we signed the contract.
The company had advertised a discount of $100 off of a minimum $1,000 job. Interestingly enough, the quote for our driveway was $1,000 so we expected the discount. When it came time to sign the contract however, we were told that the salesman that had posted the advertisement had made a mistake and that the minimum that they would bill was $1,000. One of our neighbours was very upset and almost cancelled the job but we all opted to go with Stone Ridge because of what we believed was excellent quality work. Unfortunately, we were wrong.
We followed the company's direction and parked on the street for five nights following the paving. We then parked on the driveway for three nights before going on vacation for two weeks. When we returned from vacation, it was hot, before that the temperature had been below seasonal. To my surprise, when I got out of my vehicle, I noticed that the asphalt under the tires had lifted and adhered to the tire. The next day we called Stone Ridge and told them about the problem. Rather than addressing our concerns, they played the blame game. We had not parked carefully enough, the weather was too warm, we didn't understand the nature of asphalt and we should call the company that makes the asphalt, the problem had nothing to do with them.
The bottom line: The company's advertisement was false, the quality of the asphalt was average at best, and the customer service was dismissive and demeaning. Under no circumstances would we ever recommend Stone Ridge Paving.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,000.00
- Company Response
Stone-Ridge Paving would like to take this opportunity to clarify Susie’s concerns:
1.Our company advertisement offering $100.00 discount applies to jobs which exceed $1000.00. Susie’s neighbour’s driveway exceeded $1000 and therefore qualified for the discount.
2.Our company received one irate phone call from Susie weeks after the driveway was completed and the concern/complaint was a chunk of asphalt had lifted from the driveway beneath the tires of her car. Susie was informed the issue would be looked at when her neighbour’s driveway was scheduled to be paved in just a couple of weeks. Upon examining the lower portion of Susie’s driveway we confirmed the tire markings which can occur from time to time depending on the temperature conditions. As you can see from the photo, the vehicle was parked diagonally across the lower portion of the driveway which would have caused Susie to twist and turn the tires in order to park or remove her vehicle from the driveway. There was no evidence that a chunk of asphalt lifted from the driveway as stated in her complaint or from her posted photo.3.We inform all of our customers to avoid twisting and turning of the tires on a new driveway even weeks after completion. Asphalt is a petroleum based product which is susceptible to tire markings in extreme heat. We explained this verbally and in writing as stated in our contract terms and in a one page document upon completion of each driveway.
4.Upon paving Susie’s neighbours driveway we took the time to explain why the issue is not covered under warranty as stated in our contract and that the tire markings will eventually disappear with wear and time.
5.Once again this issue relates to the nature of product, (being asphalt) and has nothing to do with the quality of the job.
6.Stone Ridge Paving customer service is taken seriously and we address our customers concerns as per the terms of our contract.
Stone Ridge Paving regrets not being able to satisfy Susie’s complaint in this matter.